The code

Three facts in a few characters

On this page13

The establishment where the product was packed The product contained therein And the year, day, and period during which it was packed Which is finer than a date And the packing period code has to change So the code is sized by the recall problem All of it in code rather than in words The product element is the one people forget And our data supports none of it Which is consistent across the catalog The honest division is clear Ask about coding when you buy the closure References

Where, what, and when. All three, in code.

The establishment where the product was packed

Which identifies a place rather than a company. For a processor with two sites the code distinguishes them.

The product contained therein

So one code does not cover a line. Each product gets its own identifier inside the code.

And the year, day, and period during which it was packed

Three time units, not one. A year and a day and a period within the day.

Which is finer than a date

A period within a day means a shift or a run, so a code identifies a production window rather than a calendar day.

And the packing period code has to change

Often enough to enable ready identification of lots during their sale and distribution. The frequency follows from how the product moves.

So the code is sized by the recall problem

A finer code identifies a smaller lot, which means a smaller recall. That is the trade the frequency requirement is about.

All of it in code rather than in words

Which keeps the mark short enough to put on a jar and keeps the key with the processor.

The product element is the one people forget

A date code alone satisfies the when and none of the what. Three facts are required and a date is one of them.

And our data supports none of it

We publish no lot number, no coding service and no markability attribute. The compounding property names the same lot gap under cGMP.

Which is consistent across the catalog

We identify a product by a dc sku and a case pack. Identifying a production run is the packer's job and we supply nothing for it.

The honest division is clear

We sell the jar and the code goes on it by some process we do not supply.

Ask about coding when you buy the closure

Because the 11 metal lug caps here take a mark far better than the glass does, and that is a purchase decision.

References

21 CFR 114.80(b): "Each container or product shall be marked with an identifying code permanently visible to the naked eye." The section continues that "The required identification shall specify in code the establishment where the product was packed, the product contained therein, and the year, day, and period during which it was packed", and that "The packing period code shall be changed often enough to enable ready identification of lots during their sale and distribution." Paragraph (a)(4) provides that "Testing and examinations of containers shall occur often enough to ensure that the container suitably protects the food from leakage or contamination." law.cornell.edu

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 19 October 2026. 203 rows: 20 containers and 183 closures, which is the second smallest container count in this library and the most lopsided closure ratio measured anywhere, at better than nine to one. 266 to 1,893 mL with a median of 473; 11 over a pint and 5 over a quart. 19 glass and 1 PET. 18 clear and 2 amber, which is the most monochrome shelf measured. 8 glass mason and paragon jars, 6 glass straight sided jars, 3 glass hex jars, 1 PET wide mouth container, 1 glass wide mouth short jar, 1 french square. Nine distinct neck finishes across 20 containers: 5 at 63TW, 4 at 89-400, 3 at 70-450G, 2 at 70TW, 2 at 70-400, and singles at 110-405, 70-450, 63-400 and 48-400. Liners on the closures: 53 heat induction seal, 28 F217, 22 pressure sensitive, 18 No Liner, 16 Plastis standard, 13 PE foam, 12 unrecorded, 11 Plastis pasteur, 9 foam. Buyability, a snapshot: 14 of 20 available, 6 not; 7 quote only; 19 of 20 full case only, with case packs from 12 to 144 and a median of 72.

Written from 21 CFR 114.3 and 114.80 and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. Part 114 governs commercial processors of acidified foods; home canning for a household is not commercial processing, and low-acid canned foods fall under part 113 which is a different and more demanding part not described here. Nothing on these pages tells anyone how to preserve anything, and cottage food laws, which are state law, are what actually govern a home preserver selling jars. There is no two-piece canning lid anywhere in this catalog.